Saturday, October 8, 2011

9 Amish Men Sentenced in Safety Triangle Case

WARNING

IN ORDER NOT TO INSULT THE SENSIBILITIES OF THOSE WHO PREFER NOT TO BE SWAYED BY TRUTH I WILL ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION

THIS BLOG CITES PASSAGES FROM THE HOLY WRITINGS BOTH HEBREW AND GREEK.

I found the following article from Mayfield, KY interesting on a number of levels not the least the fact that Mayfield is in the area where my grandmother was born and raised before she came to Canada. The terminology referring to a 'safety triangle' was what really piqued my curiosity in the first place. My own picture from a trip to Manitoba in 2009 was unusable but the above is virtually the same likeness.

On the WEBSITE Amish Buggy Trivia and Information "The primary mode of transportation among the the plain people is the horse and buggy'" they do not see pin-stripping or solar-powered batteries attached to the top of the vehicle as immodest only the 'safety triangle' that's sole purpose is to draw attention to slow-moving vehicles to prevent injury and loss of life, NOT to draw attention to the driver or their lifestyle. Some have questioned why this mode of transportation does not require license plates in some jurisdictions.

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Nine Amish men who refused to display an orange reflective triangle on their horse-drawn buggies have been ordered to jail for not paying court-imposed fines.

The men belong to the ultraconservative Old Order Swartzentruber Amish sect in western Kentucky. They object to the triangles because the bright color violates their modesty code.

The Courier-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/njcW9w ) that the men say paying the fines would amount to complying with a law they believe violates their religious strictures.

Graves County District Judge Deborah Hawkins Crooks sentenced the men Monday to three to 10 days in jail.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals in June denied the defendants' appeal on the misdemeanor convictions.

The other thing that interested me is the 'code of modesty' cited by the Amish as the reason for the conflict with the laws of the land. A sorely needed 'safety code' aside, if they are standing on the Bible as their 'guiding light' in this case there are many overriding Biblical references of more substantive reasoning that would negate this rather flimsy, if not life threatening, stance.

Jesus said to "PAY BACK CAESAR'S THINGS TO CAESAR AND GOD'S THINGS TO GOD". Mark 12:17. NOWHERE in the Bible does it say or even infer that it is okay to break the law. In fact those opposing the law put in place by God would be taking a stand 'against the arrangement of God and actually taking a stand against Him' [Romans 13:1,2] The only exception to that law is if it is in direct opposition to a Biblical command or principle.The sanctity of life [Psalms 36:9; Psalms 139:16 and the principle of 'reasonableness before all men' [Philippians 4:5] surely trump the principal of 'modesty' here.

The tenet of modesty does more than dictate the usual connotation in the fashion sense but in the Christian sense it is one's demeanor as well. Modesty is an accurate estimate of one's own self and limitations that aids in avoiding the dishonor that accompanies presumptuousness or boastfulness.